The present invention relates to photography and, more particularly, to a handheld support for a camera and photographic lamp.
Most cameras are provided with a shoe by which a flash attachment can be attached to the camera and supported directly above it when the camera is held in its normal shooting position. A problem arises, however, in connection with cameras that use a film of rectangular format. It is often desired to rotate such cameras ninety degrees so that the film will better accommodate the subject to be photographed. The lamp then extends to one side of the camera rather than above it, which can result in unflattering shadows and undesired reflections, especially when portraits are taken.
No completely satisfactory solution to this problem has been offered. Sometimes lamps that are not attached to the camera can be positioned at will. Such lamps and the necessary supports, however, are not always available, require considerable set up time and are relatively inconvenient to use. Another solution has been to rotatably mount the camera below the lamp. This apparatus can, however, be cumbersome and it is often found that the lamp is not properly centered over the lens after camera rotation.
It is an objective of the present invention to overcome the above problem by providing a device that permits a camera to be reoriented without changing the position of a lamp attached to the camera, at the same time retaining the centered position of the lamp.